ISLAMABAD: All leaders of opposition parties gather for All Party Conference (APC). It is time for them to show strength and unity.
The APC session, which is currently underway, was summoned upon the behest of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam F leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has announced that its heavy weight delegation to be headed by party president and opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif will participate in APC.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari nominated a five-member delegation for participation in the conference. Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, former Senate chairmen Raza Rabbani and Nayyar Bukhari, Sherry Rehman and Farhatullah Babar will represent the PPP.
PML-N delegation will comprise Maryam Nawaz, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, secretary general Ahsan Iqbal and all the provincial presidents.
PPP chairman also attended the APC today.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said Mr Sharif and other MNAs of the party had decided to attend the APC after failure of the National Assembly to hold a discussion on the charged expenditures, which would now be held on Wednesday morning and was expected to continue for three hours.
Ms Aurangzeb said the opposition was determined to defeat the anti-people budget with full force and during the party’s parliamentary party meeting presided over by Mr. Sharif, the members had been directed to ensure their presence in the assembly during the crucial vote on the cut motions.
The Jamaat-i-Islami has already distanced itself from APC. Similarly, the Balochistan National Party (Mengal) which had been attending opposition meetings despite sitting on the treasury bench is still undecided about its participation in the MPC.
The Awami National Party (ANP) has demanded that the opposition should move a no confidence motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, if it was serious about launching an anti-government movement.
Maulana Fazl called for launching a full-fledged anti-government movement soon after Eidul Fitr, saying that “they are already too late”. But his approval was not warmly taken by PML (N) nor PPP.
